The wait is almost over. On May 4, the first downtown Scottsdale location of Postino Wine Cafe opens its doors to the public at 4821 North Scottsdale Road, just north of the intersection of Scottsdale Road and Highland Boulevard.

The restaurant and bar is Upward Projects' sixth metro Phoenix location of Postino, a popular concept best known for its selection of affordable wines and bruschetta boards. As at the other Postino locations in Central Phoenix, Tempe, Gilbert, and North Scottsdale, guests can look forward to a menu of starters, salads, and panini, plus weekend brunch and specials including $5 glasses of wine before 5 p.m. daily and $20 for a bottle of wine and bruschetta board on Monday and Tuesday nights.

Also in keeping with the theme of the other locations, Postino Highland takes over a historical building. The wine bar is located inside the a former Valley National Bank branch that was designed by famed Drover, Welch, and Lindlan architect Frank Henry. Best known for his "Mushroom Bank" on the southeast corner of 44th Street and Camelback Road, Henry apprenticed under Frank Lloyd Wright and went on to design a cadre of buildings that often feature stylized, cast-concrete forms such as the concrete fins at Postino Highland.

Upward Projects co-founders Lauren Bailey and Craig DeMarco studied Henry's personal archives, which were donated to the ASU Library's Archives & Special Collection, in order restore some aspects of the building's original design. The founders re-created several design elements seen in historical photos, including stylized metal screens placed throughout the restaurant and Space Age-style light fixtures that now hang over the booths.

Postino Highland features an 80-seat dining room, plus a 70-seat patio decked out with original water fountains.